LSU basketball coach Will Wade held his first press conference in months at the annual SEC meetings in Destin, Florida on Monday, but the embattled coach sidestepped questions about damaging audio that became public earlier this year.
Wade was suspended for LSU’s postseason run earlier this year after audio surfaced of Wade allegedly making a “strong-ass” offer to a high-profile recruit last year. The Tigers still made the sweet 16 without him. (RELATED: REPORT: FBI Went To Baton Rouge To Investigate LSU Basketball Coach Will Wade)
Will Wade on the Strong Offer. pic.twitter.com/DTgAOJL9rb
— Ed Daniels (@WGNOsports) May 28, 2019
“Everything you can think of was addressed in the meeting with LSU and the NCAA,” Wade said when asked if he or an assistant had ever paid a player.
Wade’s refusal to answer what should be a simple question will only continue to raise doubts about his integrity. (RELATED: Dick Vitale Gets Into Heated Exchange Over LSU Basketball Coach Will Wade)
While Wade has been re-instated, he has not been exonerated. The FBI and the NCAA are still conducting an investigation into the corruption that has plagued college basketball in recent years. For many, Wade is the poster boy of a sport in desperate need of reform.
That perception certainly isn’t going away after today’s press conference.